On the other hand, how many Malaysians have actually read these tales of missing tails and encounters with the Heffalump? Not many. Winnie the Pooh has become akin to Michael Jordan than he is to Peter Pan. Pooh, in Malaysia, is neither known for his confused train of thought nor his inability to end up in his trouble.
Pooh The Supermodel
Ask any Malaysian what they know of Pooh and they will most likely tell you that he loves honey (which is correct) and then squeal ecstatically (also indisputable). And I don’t think these answers are gender biased; boys and girls react more or less the same way! Answers may vary from “He’s so romantic”, to “He can swim very well”, to “He likes being a rabbit” - depending on what week it is at McDonald’s.
The original Winnie the Pooh books are quite rare today but if you can get your hands on one, read it! Coming to know him as a character may give you a new perspective to life’s mysteries or help you to appreciate him better as a fully rounded character, not just for his looks; or it may just turn out to be a fruitful way to while away your time.
The Tao of Pooh
Recently, a somewhat obscure writer, Benjamin Hoff, shed new light on our beloved bear’s psychological temperament. Could Winnie the Pooh be the refined example of Taoist living? Benjamin Hoff certainly thinks so. Hoff attributes Pooh’s ability to accomplish what he does with little or no effort and the tendency for his dilemmas to solve themselves to a Taoist mindset.
“Pooh hasn’t much brain, but he never comes to any harm. He does silly things and they turn our right.” Piglet, Winnie the Pooh.
For some, this comparison may be seen as a tragedy while others yet may consider it sublime truth, but the question of whether Winnie the Pooh is a Taoist, both actively and consciously, will be forever unconcluded. While there is an undeniably sound argument (yet debatable) pointing our beloved Winnie towards the religion of Taoism is it possible that Winnie the Pooh is a Christian mammal?
Pooh The Believer
Other than the absence of a complete vocal proclamation of himself being a full-fledged Christian, Pooh does actually display quite a ripe harvest of the fruits of the Spirit!
“But the fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” - Galatians 5:22
Love, joy and peace are natural character traits of our friend Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh loves his friends in the Hundred Acre Woods. He has never hesitated to come to aid of his friends, and when a tiger whom he had never met showed up on his doorstep one middle of the night, Pooh took him under his own wing/paw. And Pooh, being a bear who lives in a tree, with about only 8 friends in his whole life, who has to climb the 2-story (minimum) “Bee Tree” every time he looks for food, and is entirely aware of his lack of intelligence, has absolutely no reason to be happy with his life! I mean, he’s overweight and still is often overwhelmed by hunger pangs throughout the day! Yet, Pooh is as joyful as anyone can be.
On the cover of Benjamin Hoff’s “The Tao of Pooh”, it reads:
“While Eeyore frets...
...and Piglet hesitates...
...and Rabbit calculates...
...and Owl pontificates...
...Pooh just is.”
Hoff has stated the facts and in comparison to his fellow friends, doesn’t Pooh present an amazing sense of peace and faith in whatever he does?
As for an act of patience, get this: Pooh was once stuck, in his friend Rabbit’s doorway for a week deprived of food (while he lost weight) without anything else but Christopher Robin reading him a book outside while “Rabbit hung his washing on the South end...”
Pooh is kind, gentle and downright good. If anyone wishes to dispute that, just take it to the millions of fans around the world; this can be conveniently done via the internet.
“There!” said Pooh pointing proudly to The Floating Bear. It wasn’t what Christopher Robin expected and the more he looked at it, the more he thought what a Brave and Clever Bear Pooh was, and the more Christopher Robin thought this, the more Pooh looked modestly down to his nose and tried to pretend he wasn’t.”
Never will there be a bear of such humility. |
